Virtually all bicarbonates which are produced by crystallization from a carbonating vessel have traces of carbonate reactant on the crystal surfaces of the product bicarbonate (e.g., sodium bicarbonate and potassium bicarbonate). Eliminating residual carbonate is beneficial to reduce the tendency of the bicarbonate to form lumps and to meet some customer purity requirements. However, known ways to remove the residual carbonate are costly or inefficient.